Outerhaven Anime: First Reaction – Mob Psycho 100

I have never done drugs before in my life, but after watching the opening sequence to Mob Psycho 100, I can begin to believe that doing acid would look something like this. The creator of One Punch Man, aptly named ONE, is the creator behind this show and if you’ve seen One Punch Man, then you pretty much know what to expect from this show, but did it deliver?

First Episode Impressions

Mob Psycho 100 is about Psychics and eliminating lingering spirits. It centers around two “psychics” named Arataka Reigen and Shigeo Kageyama, the latter of which goes by the name Mob. I used quotations around the word psychics because of the two of them, Mob is the only one who is a true psychic. Arataka simply just throws every day table salt at spirits and expects them to melt away. Yet, despite the fact that he is a complete and total fraud, he is Mob’s “master.”

I’d love to see just how Arataka convinced Mob to be his student. Arataka is completely useless and whenever he is questioned about why he didn’t do anything, he always comes up with an excuse, which Mob completely buys into.

After the character introductions and seeing Mob’s abilities, the two of them respond to a haunted tunnel in which they have to eliminate a dead biker gang who died by slipping on a banana peel.

Yes… you read that right. One of their members rode over a banana peel and, like dominoes, they all crashed and died in a horrific accident. The boss of the biker gang is defeated, but warns them that an even more powerful spirit resides in this tunnel and was giving them orders. Mob takes out that spirit easily.

One of the interesting aspects to the show is from time to time, they show a meter in which calculates Mob’s explosion. By the end of the first episode, we’ve reached 25%. It’s a subtle, yet, intricate feature that makes you wonder just what will happen when it reaches 100%. I guess we will have to wait and see. Also, I loved the Easter Egg in the episode when Reigen had Saitama from One Punch Man set as his wallpaper on his cell phone. I had a good laugh at that.

OP & ED Impressions

“99” by MOB CHOIR is the opening theme for Mob Psycho 100 and O…M…G… is it glorious! I can’t describe it as it’s something that has to be heard to understand. It mixes a bit of “Engrish” with Japanese and features a count up to 99 in between the lyrics. It’s high energy and just sounds great. It is definitely one of the best openings of any show this season and I can’t wait to hear a full version of it.

“Refrain Boy” by ALL OFF is your ending theme. This is your typical rock theme that had that “ending song” feel to it. Despite the fact that it sounds rather generic, it does sound pretty good and serves its purpose. While it is nice to listen to, I don’t think that this is going to be a song I’m going to rush out and get on release day.

Worth Watching?

YES – The first episode of Mob Psycho 100 was simply amazing. It has a Gurren Lagann/Kill la Kill vibe to it and the art style is pretty unique. It’s made to look like the web comic and there is a lot of artistic dissonance going on throughout the show. At first, it looks a bit jarring, but the more you watch it, the more you appreciate the style. If you loved One Punch Man, you will certainly love Mob Psycho 100!

About The Author

Josh (or J.J. as some have come to call him), is a long-time geek culture enthusiast with a deep passion for anime, manga and Japanese culture.
Josh also has a Bachelor of Arts in Game Design and is a creative writer who has created original content for over 20 years! He is also the author of the original English light novel Final Hope.